Encrid wanted Rem to handle things neatly, wittily, and with quick reflexes.
And Rem intended to do just that.
'He'll take care of it.'
This belief wasn't baseless.
Rem had always been that kind of person.
What Encrid desired was for them to kill the peculiar beast that shot arrows made of thread, which was the leader of the monsters.
He also wanted to reduce the number of these monsters while they were at it.
Although he hadn't spelled it out, both Rem and Dunbachel would know what needed to be done.
Could there be more dangerous monsters there?
There would be.
But
'If I were a monster…'
He wouldn't waste all his strength over Oara. Moreover, he intended to draw even more attention to this place starting now.
Encrid had thought and rethought countless times about today, devising and scheming.
By putting himself in the enemy's shoes, he could change his perspective and look at his own side.
'What is the most threatening?'
There was no need to ask. It was Oara.
'What is their objective?'
This too was already known.
'Knight Oara.'
They were focused on killing a single Knight, Oara.
Just as Oara intended to destroy the core of the Demon Realm, they were attempting to do the same.
Encrid had read the enemy's intentions and confirmed them through the repetition of today.
"A natural sense for reading the battlefield?"
Roman muttered this, but in reality, that wasn't the case.
It was simply due to experience.
And so, today passed and then passed again.
Yet, not a single day was wasted on gathering information.
Even the ferryman was astonished by this.
Encrid simply spent today, and every day, wielding his sword like a madman, cramming all the information coming in from around him into his mind.
Thus, today began.
In conclusion, Rem and Dunbachel would handle their tasks on their own.
So Encrid had to do what he needed to do.
"Hoo."
He puffed out his cheeks, exhaled, and then pursed his lips as he inhaled.
Tap-tap, Encrid began to walk forward. His body felt light. His condition was not bad. No, it was good.
Better than usual.
The desire in his heart fueled his fire and elevated his spirits.
Encrid picked up his pace to a light run, and Luagarne followed behind.
From the wall, Oara watched, and nearby, Roman, with short blonde hair Junior-Knight, and Asia observed as well.
He decided to earn their trust through action.
So, he would show them properly.
Encrid saw the head of the spider beast charging at him. Dozens of side eyes, a mouth split horizontally, and legs that, though not forged from steel, were still solid.
This one was swifter than the others. It approached with a rapid click-click-click and crossed its front legs like scissors.
The Gate of Sixth Sense opened, and the concentration made time feel as if it was slowing down.
He could see the beast's blade-like legs. The serrated edges, like tiny protrusions, were evenly spaced like saw teeth.
He could feel the power behind the crossed legs.
If he got caught there, his body would be sliced clean through.
Even just a graze would tear his flesh to shreds.
So, he needed to move before it touched him.
In the sliver of time that had split open, he sped up his thoughts and moved.
Encrid swung Aker upward from below.
The blade traced a smooth arc, slashing through the spider's two legs and then splitting its head.
'There's no need to stop.'
Think and act.
Encrid cut through one monster and continued forward, swinging Aker with just his right hand.
His feet struck, swept, and slid across the ground with frightening speed.
He twisted his waist, angled his ankles, slashed, thrust, cut, and swung his sword.
Thud, crack, squelch, snap, pop.
'What's needed when facing multiple enemies?'
Boldness and judgment.
The ability to make decisions instinctively, and the skill to make all those decisions the right ones.
Rem was the best at this.
His axe moved instinctively, carving out unstoppable trajectories.
Encrid mimicked Rem.
Ping, at some point, he had drawn Ember in his left hand.
He wasn't copying the technique but the momentum.
'I am a barbarian.'
A crazy barbarian.
A barbarian with a hobby of splitting noblemen's heads.
A barbarian who picks fights when something displeases him.
The swords in Encrid's hands curved like whips and moved like beams of light.
Ember, now a streak of light, angled downward. It seemed to stab into empty space, but it was not.
A spider beast suddenly thrust its head into the previously empty spot.
Screech!
A large spider stood on its legs, raised its abdomen, and then had its head pierced by Ember.
Stab and withdraw. A sword strike that transcended the normal realm of speed.
Poof.
The beast, its head punctured, died as it sprayed venom from its abdomen.
The thick brown liquid shot into the air and then splattered to the ground.
Of course, it didn't even touch Encrid, nor did it have any effect.
As one venom-spitting monster fell and died, Aker flew across the battlefield like a swift swallow.
Striking, hitting, and smashing over and over.
Sensing movement behind him, Encrid ducked his head.
With a whoosh, a spider's leg passed over his head. A few strands of his hair were sliced off and floated in the air. Encrid twisted his waist and kicked backward.
Thump.
The spider's head caught under his heel was crushed.
As he extended his leg backward, he noticed an ant-like creature crawling along the ground, using its two front legs like sickles, aiming to stab his left foot.
Encrid retracted his extended leg and kicked forward.
Just before the sickle-like limbs could stab his left foot, the boot reinforced with iron plates on the instep kicked the spider.
Bang!
It was a relatively small creature. With the right technique, its body burst apart.
Black blood splattered all over the top of his boot.
Big ones, small ones, medium-sized ones, ones that spit venom, ones that shoot webs, ones that use their legs like swords, ones that charge recklessly, ones that tunnel up from the ground, ones that sneak up from behind.
There were many. More than enough to kill.
Encrid could see a glimpse of the future.
And he swung his sword accordingly.
Aker struck downward from above, while Ember was sheathed as he drew his Gladius, striking the ground.
After performing two simultaneous actions, he jumped to the side.
Smack!
A whip with a metal weight at the end filled the gap. It was Luagarne's assistance.
The spot where he had jumped was now the center of the monster horde.
Several spider beasts extended their arms. Encrid dodged by tilting his head, then raised his sword vertically, deflecting the spider beast's forearms with the flat of his blade.
It was possible due to the overwhelming difference in skill.
Of course, it was still a half-crazy thing to do.
On the other hand, pulling off something crazy could sometimes turn into something extraordinary.
After all, there's only a thin line between a madman and a hero.
And right now, Encrid was walking that line.
After dodging and blocking, he found his footing. He was in the midst of the monster horde.
Pushing through the monsters, Encrid gripped Aker with both hands and swung it wide.
It was a slash infused with the centrifugal force technique of the Middle Sword Technique.
His slash tore through the monsters like a typhoon.
Slash, slash, slash!
Everything that touched the blade was cut and sliced.
In a single strike, he had created a gap in the center of the monster horde.
For a brief moment, there was a void around Encrid, centered on his sword.
Encrid caught his breath and shook the blade in the air. Black blood dripped to the ground.
He had learned the pattern of the monsters through the repetition of 'today'.
Encrid overlaid his own instincts and intuition onto the patterns he had memorized.
By understanding and predicting the monsters' behaviors, he painted a picture on the battlefield using their black blood as paint.
Ordinarily, it would be impossible to know all of a monster's habits, but not now.
There was 'today' where Oara died, 'today' where he himself died, 'today' where Rem had a hole in his stomach, 'today' where Asia's head was severed, 'today' where Luagarne died with a pierced heart, 'today' where Roman died helplessly—countless such days.
All those days, all that experience, condensed into a single person.
Therefore, at least on this stage, Encrid was the most experienced hunter.
'Not bad.'
The more he moved, the more his body felt like it was loosening up. He wasn't tired. Even though he had used techniques like Will of the Moment, Giant's Strike, and Severance, he felt fine.
Encrid didn't stop.
For a moment, he forgot about Rem and Oara and just ran. He swung his sword and moved his feet. He fought tirelessly.
This was his moment to prove himself. And there were those who were watching.
* * *
Milio was waiting in front of the gate, unaware of what was happening ahead.
He heard someone say to close the gate just as he was about to open it, but he saw no reason to obey.
Yet, he almost followed the order without realizing it, then stopped.
"Close it."
Just then, Oara's command rang out.
Milio thought that even if there hadn't been a Knight's order, he might have obeyed that voice coming from ahead.
"Head up to the wall. Everyone, grab your bows."
Milio spoke to the soldiers under his command and started moving.
"Admor, you bastard. You're not dead already, are you?"
Although Encrid had intervened, it was ultimately his decision to send him out.
A subtle worry lodged itself in a corner of his mind.
Of course, this wasn't the time for such thoughts. The monsters were swarming like never before.
This was a massive wave, even by wave standards.
No one, including Oara, could afford to let concern for a comrade cause them to falter on this chaotic battlefield.
Milio resumed his steps.
He knew there was no need to rush, but he couldn't help but quicken his pace.
'Why aren't they shooting?'
The common sense of Thousand Bricks dictated that they should be shooting arrows to reduce the number of monsters before they got too close.
And yet, no arrows flew. Still, none.
Milio found himself standing atop the wall, having quickened his steps without realizing it. He then grabbed a bow and nocked an arrow to the string. Now, all that was left was to wait for the order to shoot.
Oara was present, but the command was given by someone else.
When the Knights stepped onto the battlefield, it was customary to leave someone else to command the archers from the rear.
That was how Thousand Bricks had survived.
Milio noticed that the person who should have been giving commands couldn't find his voice.
The soldier next to him, who should have been signaling with the flag, was the same.
Even Oara was the same.
"That crazy bastard."
Oara muttered with a twisted smile.
Oara always smiled, but there was a slight difference when she was genuinely excited.
It was a subtle distinction that only Milio knew.
It was Milio's special skill, earned from observing her for a long time with a heart full of admiration.
He was good at reading Oara's smiles.
And from Milio's perspective, Oara seemed truly excited now.
Naturally, Milio's gaze turned forward.
There was a time when someone had witnessed a Squire ascending to the rank of Junior-Knight in the Red Cape Knights.
It was on the battlefield of Naurillia and Aspen, right in the heart of Green Pearl beyond the Border Guard.
A Knight with determination in his legs had pushed off the ground and charged.
The slashes that followed were like a butterfly, and his movements were like lightning.
One warrior tore through the battlefield. When a Junior-Knight-level fighter entered the fray among regular soldiers, that's what could happen.
Such was the overwhelming power that could overturn a battlefield.
Milio hadn't seen that battle. He could only see what was in front of him.
But now, he was witnessing something similar.
Outside the gates.
That was why Oara was smiling.
In the middle of the monster horde, the only ally around was a single Frog trailing behind.
And yet, the Frog's fight wasn't even noticeable.
There was a man in a position where Milio himself wouldn't last a few moments before being killed, and this man was swinging his sword. Slashing. Stabbing. Cutting and smashing.
The loud explosions that occurred on the right side near Oara made him look to the left, only to find the man had already changed positions.
Where he had landed, black dirt erupted into the air.
Before the clumps of dirt even fell, four monsters already had holes in their heads.
How could any human be capable of that?
The torchlight nearby flickered wildly, illuminating his actions.
There were few soldiers who had witnessed the Knights' battles up close as much as Milio had.
For this reason, Milio knew that Squires and Junior-Knights were not invincible.
They too grew tired when they didn't get enough sleep, and they lacked strength if they didn't eat.
Milio's palms were sweaty. His heart pounded. An inexplicable exhilaration surged within him.
He didn't know what that man was fighting for.
But if you were to ask who was leading the charge on this battlefield, Milio would confidently answer.
Boom.
"Oara."
A soldier stomped his foot and shouted a chant.
"Oara!"
Another soldier echoed the chant. A few more joined in simultaneously.
The chant spread. It was a cheer for one person.
Everyone in the city, everyone defending the walls, watched with one heart. Even Oara.
"Encrid!"
They shouted a single name. It was an unusual thing.
Was there anything in Encrid's display of prowess that was significantly different from what the Knights had shown before?
No, there wasn't.
And yet, there was something about that man's fight that set hearts ablaze.
His heart raced. His chest felt hot. It was as if his mind had turned completely white. The exhilaration coursed through his entire body, and Milio believed he could slay any monster, or anything else for that matter.
Even though the Twin Moons had risen, no one looked up.
No one spoke of danger.
They were simply watching the man who was slaughtering the horde that had just posed a threat—all by himself.
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